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Learning Paths

Curated collections of Workshops organized by subject matter, such as Environment Art, Character Design or Effects Animation.

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Iain McCaig

Artist, Writer, Filmmaker

Iain McCaig has worked for over 40 years in the entertainment industry, creating some of the most memorable and iconic designs in modern pop culture. His work includes the cover for Jethro Tull's album Broadsword and the Beast, as well as his legendary character designs for Star Wars, including Queen Amidala and Darth Maul.


He has collaborated on numerous major films, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Jungle Book, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers, as well as contributing extensively to the ongoing Star Wars franchise across films, graphic novels, and theme parks. His more recent shipped titles include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Eternals, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Avengers: Endgame.


In his spare time, Iain writes, produces, and directs, while encouraging others to draw and tell stories. In May 2008, Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art honored him with the prestigious Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement... though he insists he is only just getting started.

  • Any time an artist or designer can portray story points through a design or an illustration, the work becomes much more engaging. Iain does a wonderful job of explaining the structure of visual storytelling and how to create strong character designs that support your story.

    - Scott Robertson
    Product Advisor at Vizcom

  • For me, Iain is the best living draughtsman. He masters design issues by giving them emotion, reality, intelligence, and a sense of story, without sacrificing spontaneity and improvisation. He is a treasure in film concept design.

    - Paul Topolos
    Freelance Artist

  • I just love that Iain’s characters arrive on the page fully formed; their life stories expressed through every beautiful pencil stroke, from the lightest fairy tales to the darkest nightmares.

    - Doug Chiang
    Senior Vice President and Executive Design Director at Lucasfilm

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